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I remember this guy. Midway through that conference final series I thought to myself "Pontus Aberg is a really good hockey name". From that point on he killed us over the final two games. I hate Pontus Aberg.

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I remember this guy. Midway through that conference final series I thought to myself "Pontus Aberg is a really good hockey name". From that point on he killed us over the final two games. I hate Pontus Aberg.

So he actually did some damage against us? I don’t remember him. If he did that’s promising, shows he isn’t a bad pickup.

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What is the back story behind his time with the Oilers? It doesn't sound like he was released for performance reasons...

I don't think he was released. We got him off waivers, meaning that Edmonton was just trying to send him down to Bakersfield. The Oil is pretty deep on their forward lines this season, so he was likely just a numbers casualty.

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I don't think he was released. We got him off waivers, meaning that Edmonton was just trying to send him down to Bakersfield. The Oil is pretty deep on their forward lines this season, so he was likely just a numbers casualty.

Ah ok. I heard/read some rumblings that the Oilers were not happy with him for whatever reason. Wasn't sure about his situation, but if its just a waive claim...meh?

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Ah ok. I heard/read some rumblings that the Oilers were not happy with him for whatever reason. Wasn't sure about his situation, but if its just a waive claim...meh?

There were more than rumblings or speculation. Todd McLellan came out and said Aberg got benched for off ice infractions. The speculation was that he missed practice because he was carousing. The quote from McLellan:

Quote

"He came out for reasons beyond his play . . . it's serious. The coaching staff isn't pleased, the organization isn't pleased and I'm sure his teammates aren't pleased." Todd McLellan on Pontus Aberg, back in the line-up tonight.

So we'll see. Hopefully he's got his act together. We know how much patience Murray has for guys who slack off...

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There were more than rumblings or speculation. Todd McLellan came out and said Aberg got benched for off ice infractions. The speculation was that he missed practice because he was carousing. The quote from McLellan:

So we'll see. Hopefully he's got his act together. We know how much patience Murray has for guys who slack off...

That was from last March when McLellan scratched him from a mid-March game for allegedly missing an off-day practice, but then Aberg was right back in the lineup for the next 8 straight games so I don't think he stayed in the doghouse because of that incident. Fisix's article basically makes it sound like he was just a round peg in a square hole in Edmonton. They didn't really have a need or place for his skill set given what they already had around him (they needed penalty killers and more heavy checkers in their bottom-6). I definitely think we could use him though. He brings speed, good hands, and some finishing ability. He could be a very nice add to our bottom-6.

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That was from last March when McLellan scratched him from a mid-March game for allegedly missing an off-day practice, but then Aberg was right back in the lineup for the next 8 straight games so I don't think he stayed in the doghouse because of that incident. Fisix's article basically makes it sound like he was just a round peg in a square hole in Edmonton. They didn't really have a need or place for his skill set given what they already had around him (they needed penalty killers and more heavy checkers in their bottom-6). I definitely think we could use him though. He brings speed, good hands, and some finishing ability. He could be a very nice add to our bottom-6.

I mean, you saw the quote from McLellan, though. That wasn't "he needs to work on some things." Yes, he was probably a bad fit in Edmonton, but that doesn't preclude the notion that he also had some work ethic issues. Hopefully it ended with that incident (I seriously doubt that was the only incident as I don't think an isolated incident would produce that sort of quote unless it was REALLY bad, and then it would have been likely we'd hear more about it).

As long as he's working hard, I'm all for getting him in the lineup. The Ducks desperately could use some more skill and I'm hopeful this means they're going that direction. There's no downside here, especially with Ritchie sitting out and 17 other forwards injured. It's not like he's taking time away from a youngster. All the youngsters are going to play anyway because there's no one else.

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I'm happy the kid has gotten hot but let's get real, it's far more likely this is the second coming of Dan Sexton than the next William Karlsson.

This. The kid clearly has some hands, but I'm not convinced on the rest of his game. As we've said in the past, most of us could stand there near the net and have Getzlaf bank pucks off of us into the goal.

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This. The kid clearly has some hands, but I'm not convinced on the rest of his game. As we've said in the past, most of us could stand there near the net and have Getzlaf bank pucks off of us into the goal.

Well...my question would then be...why isn't anyone else doing that on the team? Aberg is doing something right...but yes we'll see if he can stay relevant through out the whole season. I seem remember at one point a few seasons ago were Winnik was like our leading goal scorer.

(and I would hope my McDavid post above is an obvious sarcastic joke trying to compare Aberg to McDavid)